


Mythology

by scribblemyname



Series: Trope Bingo 2015 [3]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Animals, Alternate Universe - Mythology, Community: trope_bingo, F/M, Friendship, Gen, Marriage, Mythic Style
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-21
Updated: 2015-01-21
Packaged: 2018-03-08 12:33:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 921
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3209399
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scribblemyname/pseuds/scribblemyname
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Now their friend was Eagle, the chief among all the birds. What Eagle wanted to tear in pieces, he tore in pieces. What Eagle wanted to break into bits, he broke into bits. What Eagle wanted to find, he was sure somehow to find.</p><p> </p><p>Mythology written about the Avengers.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Eagle Catches a Ghost

**Author's Note:**

> I was reading a ton of folk and fairy tales and myth. This happened.

Spider said to Falcon, "Come! Our friend is chasing ghosts again."

Falcon sighed and ruffled his feathers but went with Spider to find their friend.

Now their friend was Eagle, the chief among all the birds. What Eagle wanted to tear in pieces, he tore in pieces. What Eagle wanted to break into bits, he broke into bits. What Eagle wanted to find, he was sure somehow to find.

"So what is he looking for?" asked Falcon. "Is it war or friendship?"

"Friendship," said Spider.

"Ah," said Falcon, and they went on.

"I will build a web," said Spider when they reached a likely spot. "His ghost will not escape it."

"But how shall we draw it here?" Falcon asked.

Spider looked at him until Falcon realized what she wanted him to do.

Falcon ruffled his feathers and griped and grumbled, but went to roll himself in dust and ash and caught a fish to smear himself with some of its blood, then limply fly out over the ghosting grounds of the forest as bait. Surely enough, he soon caught the attention of the snakes and serpents on their branches and the ghosts of hunting eagles in their midst, for the eagles and the snakes had been at war for hundreds of years and are still.

So the flying serpent took to the air after Falcon, and one swift eagle with a silvery ghostlike wing chased after the flying serpent, and after the half-dead eagle flew the chief of all the birds and eagles.

Falcon dove headlong toward Spider's web and passed just by it.

Spider had woven well and first the flying serpent fell into her web and thrashed, but the web did not break.

Then the eagle ghost fell into her web and thrashed harder, but still the web did not break.

Then Eagle, their friend, fell into her web and thrashed, and the web broke so he fell down together with the ghost eagle. The ghost eagle did not at first recognize his friend, for he was half a ghost, but Eagle held him fast in his talons until the half of the eagle which was not a ghost remembered that they had been friends.

Spider bit down on the flying serpent's tail and let her venom take care of the rest.

Falcon ruffled his dirty feathers but set down on the branch beside her, pleased.


	2. Hawk Takes a Wife

So it happened that Hawk wanted to be married. So Hawk went to Spider and said, "I will marry you."

But Spider blinked at him and replied, "I love my friends but kill my husbands."

That was a good reason to remain friends and not marry, so Hawk went to Cuckoo and said, "I will marry you."

But Cuckoo fluttered her wings at him and answered, "My love is far away now but I love him dearly."

Clearly they could not marry, so Hawk went on to Mockingbird, and said, "I will marry you."

Mockingbird twirled in the air and countered, _"I_ will marry _you."_

This pleased Hawk greatly, so they were married.

Now, Eagle, the chief among all the birds, wondered why he could not find Hawk and why Hawk no longer went out to war with the birds. So Eagle went to Spider and asked her, "Why does Hawk no longer fly out to war with us?"

Spider answered, "He's on his honeymoon."

"With who?" Eagle asked, amazed, but Spider did not know.

So Eagle went to Cuckoo and asked her, "Why does Hawk no longer fly out to war with us?"

Cuckoo answered, "He's on his honeymoon."

One witness, chance. Two witnesses, truth. "Where?" Eagle asked, but Cuckoo did not know.

So Eagle went to Owl and asked if he had seen Hawk, but Owl just blinked one eye at Eagle until he sighed and went away.

Then Owl unfolded himself from his tree and shook out his wings and went to find Hawk cavorting in the sky with Mockingbird.

"Eagle wants to know why you longer fly out to war with the birds," he told them.

Hawk looked sheepish and Mockingbird hung her head.

"I will come," said Hawk, but Mockingbird told him to go on ahead. "I will catch up."

Then Mockingbird went to her old lover, Kestrel, and told him, "I have taken a husband and will not cavort in the sky with you again."

Kestrel was angry and much surprised but hid it. "Who have you taken for a husband?"

But Mockingbird simply called back, "Who have I taken for a husband?"


	3. Cuckoo and Her Lover

So it happened that throughout the woods, the quiet broke and storm clouds gathered.

Mockingbird pressed close under Hawk's wing and Spider crawled between their feathers where it was safe and dry.

Eagle threw himself above the storm, and Falcon hid himself inside his aerie.

Vixen curled up in her den with Badger and Fly, her warm tail keeping them close.

Cuckoo perched on her branch of her tree and waited for her lover.

Thunder rolled and Lightning flashed in the sky. Lightning laughed at his brother, the lovesick Thunder, but Thunder ignored him and greeted Cuckoo with his warmest rumble.

Cuckoo cooed plaintively back.

So back and forth, they rumbled and cooed, talking gentle things of lovers back and forth until Lightning reminded Thunder they had promised their mother to return before too long.

Thunder boomed his goodbye. Lightning flashed once more. The woods fell silent and rain dripped off the branches.

Cuckoo sighed and shook out her feathers in the sun.


End file.
